October 12, 2026 8:05 PM Kronberg: False Talarico mental health claims highlight the fact that Paxton isn't in control of his own campaignOn Spectrum News in Austin, QR Publisher Harvey Kronberg and Texas Capital Tonight James Barragan got into that and more |
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October 11, 2026 6:56 PM Updated: Mental health facility in Ohio confirms Rep. Talarico has never been treated there, refuting claims from MAGA influencers and Paxton supporters The Paxton campaign did not weigh in on an unverified recording; Talarico’s campaign called it all “a lie” that’s “designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory.” Now the facility at the center of the story says it's all made up MAGA
social media influencers on Sunday released what they claimed were recordings that
somehow prove Rep. James Talarico recently received treatment for a mental
health breakdown – it’s a claim that Talarico’s campaign immediately blasted as
“a lie” that’s “designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory.” Later in the evening, the mental health hospital at the center of the story released this one line statement: "Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope." For the
last few days, right-wing social media has been abuzz with questions about where
exactly Rep. Talarico was when he didn’t appear on the campaign trail for at
least 8 days or so in his bid for US Senate against Attorney
General Ken Paxton. Talarico’s
campaign has maintained throughout that he’s been recovering from an illness at
home. JT Ennis, spokesman for Talarico, responded to the release of the
recordings by repeating that “Last week James Talarico was home in Austin,
Texas recovering from the flu.” The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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October 9, 2026 3:42 PM People on the MoveTalarico spotted, association news, a big Houston promotion, and more It seems
that the mystery of “Where In the World is James
Talarico” has been solved – he’s been spotted at ACL this
afternoon, according to the social media. That won’t keep the conspiracy theorists
from tweeting about it all day and night, though. On the Quorum
Report Radio podcast coming out tonight, I did place a call to the Ken
Paxton “tip line” to let the campaign know that as a Central Texas resident,
I have not seen Talarico in person lately and that I’ll update the situation as
appropriate. Also on
the show: Harvey reports that some GOP women got up and walked out when Sen.
Angela Paxton urged them to vote for her estranged husband. Seems that
message wasn’t going over well even before Sen. Paxton starred in a TV
commercial offering the same argument about the “Elephant in the Room.” Speaking
of Harvey, he’s hanging out in Dallas for Texas-OU events this
afternoon. Make sure to say “hi” if you see him. The show
will drop on your favorite podcast app this evening. Links to follow it on Apple
and Spotify are on the QR homepage. Meantime,
some serious career news crossed my desk this week. To share your news – or someone
else’s – just send it to ksbraddock@gmail.com
anytime and use POTM in the subject line. Here’s the
latest edition. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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October 9, 2026 1:00 PM Lynn Moak passed away
Former Rep.
Dan Huberty and Dr. Buck Gilcrease penned this wonderful tribute
to Lynn Moak, who passed away yesterday. |
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October 7, 2026 8:55 AM Kronberg says Sen. Paxton's commercial supporting her estranged husband seems to be falling flat with GOP women
QR Publisher Harvey Kronberg reports that some "women actually got up and walked out" when Sen. Paxton originally made the case to them that her estranged husband should get their votes. He and James Barragan talked about that and more on Texas Capital Tonight on Spectrum News |
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October 7, 2026 8:31 AM Latino leaders thank Gov. Pritzker for $1 million investment in Hinojosa campaign, step up argument for Democratic Governors Association to chip in They’re now asking DGA for $3 million before the start of early vote Latino
leaders had the following reaction to Pritzker’s $1.2 million contribution: The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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October 6, 2026 5:08 PM School voucher supporter pours $3 million into Speaker Burrows operation as GOP Texas House members scramble to outperform PaxtonJeff Yass joins Tim Dunn in funding Burrows’ GOP incumbents in tough races; at the top of the ticket, the governor is burning through historic amounts of cash only to be essentially tied or behind his Democratic opponent in the polls Editor’s
Note: James Russell’s breakdowns of the campaign cash flowing in legislative
races have been a favorite of QR readers for years. He’s outdone himself this
time digging into what’s on the reports in the races being watched most closely
at Quorum Report Headquarters: Buzz Central in Austin. Your feedback is
always welcome including anything you think we might have missed – SB We’ve come
full circle. Trial
lawyers and Tim Dunn – Dunn through his Texans United for a
Conservative Majority (TUCM) – are walking hand in hand in a number of the contested Republican-held districts this
cycle with Speaker Dustin Burrows following behind with his leadership
PAC Texas Conservative Majority. And Burrow’s largest contributor
is now, at a whopping $3 million, Pennsylvania megadonor Jeff Yass, the
school voucher supporter who fueled Gov. Greg Abbott’s scorched earth
campaign against fellow Republicans two years ago. In other
words, those who bankrolled nasty primary challenges to incumbent Republicans are
now on the hook for defending the new more ideologically-driven
majority against insurgent Democrats who have the wind at their backs thanks to
the historically low approval ratings of President Donald Trump.
Remember, nearly all GOP Texas House members last year were bragging about
being endorsed by Mr. Trump in exchange for their votes in favor of school vouchers.
Now, many of the same lawmakers are running commercials and handing out
campaign literature focused on their “pro-public education” voting records. Here’s
where we are as of the 30-day reports. The rest of the story, subscribers only By James Russell |
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October 6, 2026 3:23 PM Video: In new commercial, Hinojosa sarcastically credits Abbott with delivering data centers to Texas "...Others talk about building data centers, but Governor Greg Abbott got it done. Just imagine how much he could do in four more years." |
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October 5, 2026 4:36 PM Kronberg says Talarico campaign is reminiscent of the rise of George W. Bush against Ann Richards
The possibility of presidential year-level turnout coupled with potentially higher voter intensity than 2018 has statewide GOP officeholders up against the ropes; the adage is “Everything stays the same in Texas politics until it doesn’t” One
prominent Republican recently described the last three weeks as a freefall. National
Republicans have spent somewhere around $130 million in the last 17 days in
Texas, essentially arguing "We know you don't like us, but you can't let
that other guy get elected because he's really scary.” Back in 2024,
a Republican pollster told me during Texas-OU weekend in Dallas that
Colin Allred was within the margin of error with Ted Cruz. Then national
Republican money poured in branding Allred as somebody who supported boys in
girls' sports, and Allred collapsed, ultimately losing by double digits. At
the moment, at least,
this election is not about Democrats. It is about the collapse of the
Republican narrative. And before
traveling down the path of nerdy numbers, it should be noted that the Talarico
campaign is quite reminiscent of George W. Bush against Ann
Richards. How? The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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October 5, 2026 4:10 PM Speaker Burrows says he's spent $4.3 million defending the Texas House GOP majority this reporting period That's after raising $6.6 million since July 1 |
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October 5, 2026 4:03 PM Video: Sen. Johnson up on TV blasting Sen. Middleton in the AG's race with his own words Johnson's campaign says it's a 7 figure ad buy |
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October 2, 2026 3:17 PM People on the MoveA rebranding, new beginnings, agency news, lobby hires, new workforce initiatives, and more DALLAS –
Good morning from a dreary Metroplex, where President Donald Trump once
again insulted Attorney General Ken Paxton as he campaigned for him in
Denton County, calling the Attorney General “a pain in the ass sometimes.” We’ll
cover that on the Quorum Report Radio Podcast tonight and give
you an update from East Texas where Rep. Gina Hinojosa was burning up
the campaign trail. Also, with Hinojosa and Vikki Goodwin in tight races
with Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Harvey will
join the show to talk about what it was like the last time Texas had divided
government in Austin, which of course was more than 30 years ago. How would
that go now if one or more of these challengers wins?
The links to follow Quorum Report Radio are on the QR homepage or
just search it on your favorite podcast app.
Meantime,
there’s so much significant career news to share this week that it’s hard to
know where to start. People on the Move is the most efficient way
to make sure everyone in the Capitol community knows about your new gig or
venture. Hit me up anytime at ksbraddock@gmail.com and use POTM in the subject line.
Please and thank you so much. Here’s the
latest edition. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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October 2, 2026 3:09 PM Funeral for the late Chairman Garnet Coleman set for Oct 9 11am that day at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave Houston Texas |
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October 2, 2026 8:27 AM Reminder: Sine Die smokers is rain or shine today
Check out the
invite for the times and other info. |
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October 1, 2026 4:32 PM Text messages in support of Paxton attempt to rally white voters against Talarico
With so
many campaign texts hitting the phones of voters across Texas, it’s not the norm
for any particular message to grab much attention. But one
did today. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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October 1, 2026 2:36 PM Services for Raul Espinoza JrVisitation at 6pm Monday the 5th at The Chapel of Ramsey Funeral Home 5600 Williams Drive, Georgetown, TX 78633; funeral will be Tuesday the 6th at 10am at Zion Lutheran Church 6101 FM 1105, Georgetown, TX 78626 The full obituary for
him is here. |
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September 30, 2026 7:37 PM Updated: After a man was arrested in alleged plot to attack the Capitol, DPS says it is safe to return to the building tomorrow Here's the DPS statement tonight: "The threat reported last night has been addressed. At this time, there is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the Texas State Capitol, legislators, staff, or the public. Members and staff should feel comfortable reporting to work tomorrow as scheduled. DPS will continue to maintain appropriate security measures and monitor for any additional information. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding." |
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September 29, 2026 5:30 PM Texas Ag Commissioner nominees spar over eligibility of Sheets, an issue raised during his primary against Commissioner MillerThey're mixing it up with early voting approaching: Democrat Clayton Tucker asks Texas GOP Chair Randall to declare sheets ineligible, Sheets' campaign fires back that Tucker is an "'organizer' for a radical left-wing group" The major
party nominees for Texas Agriculture Commissioner spent part of their Tuesday
arguing over whether GOP candidate Nate Sheets has met the requirements requirements to hold the office – an argument that was
raised earlier this year in Sheets’ Republican primary against outgoing
Commissioner Sid Miller. In a
letter to Republican Party of Texas Chair D'rinda
Randall, Clayton Tucker's attorney laid out the Democratic nominee’s
case for declaring Sheets ineligible to lead the Texas Department of
Agriculture. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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September 29, 2026 5:28 PM Study finds opening electricity transmission projects to competitive bidding could save ratepayers up to $22 billion
A newly
released study commissioned by Texans for Affordable Transmission,
which is a project of Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation, finds
that $22 billion in savings could be found if this was opened
up for competitive bidding. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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September 29, 2026 7:38 AM The main super PAC for US Senate Democrats plans to start spending in Texas to boost Talarico
The news via
the New York Times: Top
national Democrats are preparing to make an initial investment in the Texas
Senate race, a strategic shift that speaks to the party’s growing confidence in
a state that has dashed its hopes for decades.mThe
main super PAC for Senate Democrats, Senate Majority PAC, said on Tuesday that
it would begin an advertising effort meant to help James Talarico, the
Democratic nominee, by targeting his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton. The super
PAC, which is aligned with Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, had so
far resisted spending money in Texas, viewing the party’s path to a majority as
running through smaller states where advertising is cheaper. The group
declined to provide a figure or a range for its planned spending in Texas. |
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Copyright October 12, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 